Clemson students develop arm stabilizer to help nurses draw children's blood
December 1, 2011
The students are working on a way to immobilize children’s arms andallow them to sit up, which would make the experience less threateningand stressful for children. Students from bioengineering, mechanicalengineering, nursing and marketing have been working together to developa pediatric arm stabilizer prototype.
The students met with nurses and a child life specialist multipletimes and measured the hospital beds at the Children’s Hospital todesign of the prototype.
The students then presented their progress to a panel of hospitalpersonnel, who offered advice on the design and positive feedback abouttheir progress. Last semester, the mechanical engineering students usedcomputer software to create 3D models of the prototype.
“We developed constraints and criteria for each piece of therestraint as well as developing multiple prototypes,” said MichaelReardon, a mechanical engineering major and the co-leader of the designteam.
This fall, the students completed a pilot study that involved 10nurses working with the prototype and a manikin. The nurses offeredfeedback and some suggestions to the design team. They recommended thatthe prototype have more comfortable straps to go around the child’s armand more adjustments for different arm lengths.
“We developed a working prototype for the nurses to conduct a pilotstudy in order for us to be able to revamp the prototype and all aspectsof the arm restraint, Reardon said. Now that the study is done wehave a few ideas on how to make the system better and what materials touse for a better device.”
The nursing students on the team, Allison Jarriel and Kate Coggins,are working to analyze the pilot study, while the mechanical engineeringstudents, Russell Corwin, Reardon, Adam Spencer, Thomas Bridges andChristopher Hapstack, design a more functional prototype. The marketingstudent, Caroline Johnson, is creating a marketing strategy for theprototype, and Devin Walford, the team leader and bioengineeringstudent, is focusing on beginning the patent process for the armstabilizer.
“My favorite part has been watching thecollaboration between the disciplines work together on a project,” saidArlene Johnson, the team’s adviser from the School of Nursing.
“This Creative Inquiry is giving themexperiences to distinguish themselves from their peers, and they aresolving a real problem that was proposed in the professional field,”said Todd Schweisinger, mechanical engineering adviser to the team.
About Creative Inquiry
Creative Inquiry is a uniqueprogram that gives Clemson University undergraduate students theopportunity to work on research projects that span disciplines andmultiple semesters. Students work in teams with faculty mentors, takeownership of their projects and take the risks necessary to solveproblems and get answers. Creative Inquiry participants develop criticalthinking skills, learn to solve problems and hone their communicationand presentation skills. For more information, go to www.clemson.edu/ci.
